Searching for a mid-size DD for girlfriend

[AFBronco235]

Well, my girlfriend has fallen in love with my full sized bronco and wants to get a comparable vehicle for herself. We've been mainly looking at Rangers and Bronco II's, but I was wondering what else would be good for her. I'm very familiar with Ford trucks/SUVs so that is what we were aiming for, but I'm also open to other makes and models provided they fit the following criteria.

1. Easy to fix. I can't be waiting months for a part to show up from over seas. Or have to tear down the engine just to replace a fan belt. She's also wanting to learn how to take care of it, so "easy to clean, easy to use" is the name of the game.

2. Durable. I can't afford to be fixing this thing every weekend only to have it break for something else the next day. And by break, I mean becoming completely immobile. Not like a roof light going out or a minor oil leak. Minor fixes aren't a big deal for me. I'm a tinkerer by hobby so I kind of enjoy that after a fashion, but my girlfriend needs to be able to fix it when I'm not there, so no major engine rebuilds please.

3. Good mileage. My girlfriend can't afford a gas guzzling full size like my bronco so we're looking to get at least 15-20 mpg for her ride. This will be her DD so it doesn't need to be a power house. We'd settle for something with a 4 banger engine so long as it fits the other criteria.

4. Cheap: We have a very small budget to get her going. It doesn't have to be a perfectly preserved truck. Just no rust holes in the floor/doors/body would suffice. This will be her "learner vehicle" so we can expect some damage to accrue from her inexperience. It does need to be solid.

I realize I'm asking to have my cake and eat it too after a fashion, but I'm just listing what really matters to us in terms of vehicle capability.

So what are your recommendations and why you'd recommend them? When we go to check the vehicle you recommend, what should we keep an eye out for?

 

[SDDiver5]

What about a Toyota truck/4runner with a simple 22re motor?

 

[AFBronco235]

What about a Toyota truck/4runner with a simple 22re motor?

I know next to nothing about Toyota, so you'll have to tell me why or why not. I see them built up around where I work all the time, but how are they as stock?

 

[SDDiver5]

No idea dude. From speaking to many people and reading different articles I can tell you they seem easy to work on are reliable with good mileage. I don't have any personal experience with them tho. I'm sure you know, driving a bronco, it's pretty numbered as far as good MPG with older vehicles.

 

[mallthus]

Sounds like you're looking for a vehicle that's also trail capable to some extent.

Have you considered an Explorer? If she keeps her foot out of it, she'll be right in that 15-20 MPG range over the road. Certainly, they have their issues, but they're not unknown issues and almost none of them are "surprise" failures that'll leave her stranded unless you're not keeping up on maintenance.

A mid 90s example in great condition with the V6 and manual will only set you less than $4k.

If trail ability isn't important, an Escape might be a great choice. The first generation models were pretty reliable, easy to fix and, with the four cylinder, got better than decent mileage.

 

[AFBronco235]

We had considered explorers but the problem is in availability in our price range. I realize that I'm asking a lot, but we're trying to keep our initial budget at around $2000. We've seen a few possibilities, but mostly they include lines like "not sure whats wrong" and "needs new transmission".

Somewhat trail capable would be good but not a requirement. We use the bronco for trail riding. She's just caught the 4WD bug, especially after seeing how I handled it in the snow we had this year after seeing others get stuck and stranded over the winter.

 

[SDDiver5]

late 80's early 90's Cherokee with the straight 6? Or YJ? You can find them for cheap with mods already done. Simple to work on and parts are EVERYWHERE.

 

[AFBronco235]

late 80's early 90's Cherokee with the straight 6? Or YJ? You can find them for cheap with mods already done. Simple to work on and parts are EVERYWHERE.

How compatible are parts between Cherokee years? If I were to get say, a 92, what years would be compatible with it? I do a lot of junk yard part sourcing. I do have some minor experience with the I6 engine from my Dad's old Cherokee, so I know they're good.

 

[bdp1978]

late 80's early 90's Cherokee with the straight 6? Or YJ? You can find them for cheap with mods already done. Simple to work on and parts are EVERYWHERE.

Bingo, go with the 4.0 Cherokee over the YJ.

They really only made cylinder head changes....thats about it and that engine is about as reliable as it gets.

 

[PowerWagner]

That's not fair... I was searching for some porn on the internet and up popped this thread. My search was "giant DD's" but the intrawebs returned this...

 

[SDDiver5]

How compatible are parts between Cherokee years? If I were to get say, a 92, what years would be compatible with it? I do a lot of junk yard part sourcing. I do have some minor experience with the I6 engine from my Dad's old Cherokee, so I know they're good.

I know the engine didn't change much throughout the years but I can't be completely sure on what parts/years are different. However, I can tell you that my sis had a 98 Grand Cherokee that had over 300k on the clock and got around 18mpg

 

[AFBronco235]

I know the engine didn't change much throughout the years but I can't be completely sure on what parts/years are different. However, I can tell you that my sis had a 98 Grand Cherokee that had over 300k on the clock and got around 18mpg

I was just looking at a 99' grand Cherokee. The guy selling it says the transfer case is "seized". If its the worst case, and it needs rebuilt/replaced, how hard would that be? We have a good PAP yard nearby and I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty. My only problem is finding a good t-case or rebuilding the old one and what it would cost. At $1500, it seems like a good deal. If its a simple enough fix, I may go for it.

http://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/cto/4916444073.html

 

[SDDiver5]

Hm. I'll have to double check but from helping my sister with some stuff I think I read somewhere that the t case is a NP247...not sure if it varies with the different engines? I used my sisters WJ for about a year while she was at school. Something happened in the t case where you couldn't switch it to 4x L/H without putting lots of pressure forward on the shifter. I did a very quick google and it looks like the tcase problem is a known and common problem.

$1500 does seem like a good deal tho. Obviously it wont hurt to look more/farther.

 

[ZMagic97]

I agree on the Cherokees. I had a 95 XJ that got almost 20MPG (was 2wd) and I owned it from 130,00 to 202,000. I still see it driving around town with no issues.

 

[HINO SG]

That's not fair... I was searching for some porn on the internet and up popped this thread. My search was "giant DD's" but the intrawebs returned this...

yeah, I saw "girlfriend" and "DD" in the subject line and my first thought was, wait....what does this have to do with trucks?

My second thought was "midsize DD".... what's that?